No Swimmin' in the Kitchen! (no shoes in the pool)

(*The above quote is via Full House, the alternate universe of my childhood. But I mainly remember it from my Assistant HS Softball coach.)



Despite all my magnificent "plans" to avoid an office job in my future...well, life, I am working 8:30-4:30 at a desk. In front of my computer. Sometimes crunching numbers, sometimes planning frantically (the two months before my NZ trip.)
So when I'm not clambering to work on my bulky, awkward bicycle, or clambering all over town in search of things (like veggies for my 'Eua friends, or a food place** open after 5pm,) I'm in my kitchen. (See bottom for footnote**.)
I LOVE kitchens. I love being IN kitchens--all that shiny equipment, glossy stove-tops, a veggie-filled fridge, homemade concoctions. My amazing grandmother sent me her church cookbook a few months ago and I've alternated between it, the PC cookbook, and my own creative, recipe-refusing methods of cooking, which usually works, except for when making muffins. I need a recipe for muffins.
Kitchens are just...HOME! They're the canvas, the unwritten page, the empty stage, only to be filled with warmth and enticing smells and a choreography of steps until the art is to be consumed with delight. And I LOVE consuming delight.



My kitchen is delightful. I have a nice little cupboard protected by wiring to keep out rats and other big things (though not ants so much), I have my own fridge and stove, and the kitchen is huge, so lots of space to move around. Oddly, I have 2 sinks in my kitchen, along with a little sima vai (water tank) spout for drinking . All three sinks drip terribly, therefore have to be tightened by the hand-force of God (hence the title.) But the kitchen is homey and colorful, and I love being in it. A happy kitchen reminds me of my mother, who I LOVE helping in the kitchen. We listen to oldies or cheesy ballads, dance around and play karaoke into spatulas. We're quite the pair.



So here are some go-to dishes in my kitchen:
-Papaya jam
-Applesauce
-Pot pie (one with white sauce (beshamel?), one with tomato juice as base)
-Tomato juice
-Stuffed eggplant
-Fried eggplant
-Chinese eggplant/tofu with chili pepper
-Cucumber salsa
-Tarts
-Chocolate cake with my famous peanut butter icing
-Brownies
-Curry potatoes with pele/spinach
-Bread (regular, Swiss bread, banana, apple, papaya)
-Energy Muffins (which I need the real recipe for...I messed them up last time)
-Baked squash
-Spoon rolls (a family favorite)

I'm pretty lucky at the resources here on the main island, but many staple cooking ingredients (like most spices, cream cheese, sour cream, cream of anything soups, etc.) aren't available, so it's fun to go on the fly and try something new.
Also, if you want the recipe for any of these, OR if you'd like to share recipes, please reply to this post! My favorite language is Food, so I'd be thrilled to share!

**I'm pretty sure a "food place" would be a restaurant. Oh, dear. I had to leave that brain lapse in here.